by Simonne Liberty

Created on: August 16, 2009   Last Updated: August 17, 2009

The average American certainly can be viewed as "spoiled," but I don't think the word "lazy" would apply. In fact, the average American works more hours than they should (the ones who still have jobs, that is.) Other countries have shorter work days or work hours than this country does, and they have longer vacation time for their workers.

We could be seen as being lazy, because we depend on so many gadgets and time saving devices. But the time we save with these, only give us reason to do other things. Parents work all day, than take the kids to sports practice, school events, doctor appointments and a million other places. That is not the end of it. When they get home they have to still cook, clean up, do laundry, mow the lawn, go grocery shopping.

Americans would not have the time to do all these things if it were not for all the devices that save time. Dishwashers, clothes dryers, washers, Pampers, cars, cell phones, air conditioners, computers - you name it. Americans seem to have them all. Lazy is someone who sits around doing nothing, and expecting everyone else to do everything. There definitely are plenty of lazy people, but I would not classify them as being the average citizen.

Even the homeless don't have time to be lazy. They must roam from one place to another to avoid getting arrested for loitering. They have to walk from one soup kitchen to another to get meals. Soup kitchens do not serve three meals a day. They have requirements to meet in order to stay in the shelters at night. During the day they have to keep moving. Even the mentally ill are required to get to Mental Health Centers to get their medications, and treatments.

There is a big problem of having to do a lot of waiting. We wait in lines for hours for everything. We wait in traffic jams. We wait in doctors offices and appointments of every kind. We spend a lot of time waiting, but that is not the same as being lazy.

To be truthful Americans need to take more time to be lazy, and allow themselves to relax. We have far too many people who are suffering from STRESS. This leads to physical illness, and depression. Americans are always doing something. Even if it is just attending a ball game, or playing a video game. The unemployed fill out job applications, and are required to go to appointments and classes. They have to search for food pantries, and places where they can get help.

Americans are always on the move. In fact, children and adults alike seem to be more hyper than ever before. We are a country that does not sit still. We are always on the go.

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